Orientation: The ubiquitous challenging economic climate in South Africa and globally makes it incumbent on South African companies to reconsider their current reward policy and practices if they are to maintain and foster global economic competitiveness. This coupled with the fact that motivation in the workplace has always been a conundrum for managers and human resource practitioners alike. This dilemma becomes an obstacle to organisational effectiveness and hinders competitive advantage when employee morale is low and performance levels decrease. Research purpose: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the influencing factors of employee demographics and motivation type on rewards mix preferences. Motivation for the study: The war for talent is accelerating and the globalization of economies and world markets places pressure on companies to perform well and to maintain optimal performance levels. The workplace in South Africa is not exempt from these pressures and the nature of the workplace is changing every day. Employee engagement dynamics are changing and require deeper insight into what appeals to employees, what motivates them to perform and what will retain good resources. This knowledge would further assist organisations to create reward mix programs that appeal to both extrinsic and intrinsically motivated persons as different motivation types are triggered and stimulated by different types of rewards and adds value by examining the effects of demographical factors (such as age, race/ethnicity and gender) on employees’ perspective of reward mix giving depth to existing insights into what drives whom and at what price. Research design, approach and method: This research followed a quantitative, empirical and descriptive study of reward preferences through the administration of an online questionnaire survey via email. The data was analysed using non-parametric test for variance between dependent and independent variables, factor analysis, ANOVA and MANOVA testing. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / pagibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

This paper investigates a number of psychological factors that influence the South African Black middle class to engage in bandwagon consumption when purchasing luxury motor vehicles. The South African Black middle class has been receiving attention in consumer markets, especially from luxury brand houses looking at emerging markets for growth. This study was designed to measure the impact of the self-concept, susceptibility to normative influence, propensity to seek status and the need for uniqueness on the propensity to engage in bandwagon consumption behaviour. An online survey of 184 people identified as Black middle class, provided the data which was analysed using the PLS Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique. The results of the model confirmed the presence of bandwagon luxury motor vehicle consumption among this market segment. It was also found that the bandwagon consumption behaviour occurs in spite of the self-concept and need for uniqueness. Status consumption and susceptibility to normative influence were confirmed as antecedents to the bandwagon consumption. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intent at FET colleges. The background to the study is guided by the action plans detailed in the national development plan to increase the capacity of the post college sector and the drive to improve early stage entrepreneurial training. The proposed research has contextual value and urgency for both business and academia given the level of youth unemployment, quality of education and South Africa’s below average Total Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) rate. The literature review on entrepreneurship education learning and teaching framework, measurement of entrepreneurial intent and the impact of entrepreneurship suggest that entrepreneurship programs have a positive impact on entrepreneurial behaviour. Three hypothesis were tested, the research hypothesis are H1: Learner satisfaction with the entrepreneurship curriculum has a positive effect on entrepreneurial intentions for FET College students. H2: Inclusion of experiential learning and practical exposure in the teaching and delivery methods has a positive effect on entrepreneurial intent. H3: Entrepreneurship education at FET College has a positive effect in promoting entrepreneurship as a career choice. The research findings concluded that there is a positive relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intent at FET colleges. The literature that encourages a combination of learning the start-up process and entrepreneurial activity is well supported. In addition, the entrepreneurship education program seems to have a positive relationship in promoting entrepreneurial career. The level of experiential learning and practical exposure was highlighted as a concern. Suggestions for future research were made to investigate level of experiential learning. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Emerging markets are a great point of interest to multinational companies seeking to exploit new opportunities as they realise that catering to the rich domestic markets limits their opportunities, their potential and competitive advantage. Serving the consumers that are at the bottom of the economic pyramid (BoP) presents enormous opportunity but it also comes with its unique set of challenges. These challenges require an alternative business strategy, as companies entering these markets must develop new offerings designed to meet the specific requirements of servicing the BoP consumer. This report seeks to explore why companies operating in South Africa are entering the lower income markets, and will describe the challenges encountered both internally and externally, when operating in these markets. Ten interviews at six multinational companies based in South Africa were conducted to test the research propositions derived from the literature. The results concluded that companies enter the BoP markets in pursuit of growth. A variety of secondary factors also emerged. The data revealed that these companies have created innovative alternative execution strategies to overcome the challenges encountered in this market. The report offered a descriptive model of why companies enter the BoP market, and highlights how the challenges presented by the institutional voids and institutional distance were overcome. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

The research project investigated the trade-off between profit and social welfare objectives and whether metrics existed to measure the social welfare objectives set and the impact made. The study was conducted with leading brands within their respective categories and that are currently active in the South African BoP consumer market. The BoP market is widely recognised as an opportunity for business in developing markets to gain penetration of their brands and grow profits. How much of this ambition is married with social welfare objectives that aim to give back rather than just take out of the communities that they operate in? The challenge has been on what social impact to target and how to measure this. The research project was done using a quantitative research method, sampling brands that are within the top three sellers of their respective categories for LSM 1-4 consumers as measured by AMPS. This was supported by a thorough literature review to highlight the gaps that exist in the current way of interacting with BoP markets. The main finding is that profit is still the primary objective for most brands operating within this space and goals and associated social welfare metrics are still a distant third to marketing and business metrics measured within a business. The study ends with some recommendations for brand and business leaders to consider as they continue their incursions into BoP markets. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

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This study examined the relationship between mentored ministerial field education's four components and student efficacy beliefs in 11 professional skills for students at several evangelical seminaries in the U.S. It also investigated whether students believed they had become competent practitioners of these skills or had received sufficient mentored field education in order for them to do so. A new self-efficacy survey was developed, and N=102 students from seven seminaries participated. Practice accounted for 7.9% of the variance in self-efficacy. Observation, instruction, and feedback were more weakly correlated with self-efficacy and not significant in the regression. On a scale from 0 ("I cannot do at all") to 10 ("Highly certain I can do"), participants' self-efficacy in the skills ranged from 6.89 in counseling to 8.98 in "using and interpreting Scripture;" and there were indications that many participants had received a somewhat uneven field education. Only 23% of participants reported receiving sufficient practice and 19% sufficient feedback for them to become competent professionals. Future directions for research are suggested; and implications for both schools and churches are discussed from the perspective of instructional design, including incorporating students' self-assessments into learner analysis and field education program evaluation. / Ph. D.

The communication of anthropogenic climate change presents many challenges, for communicators, scientists, policymakers and publics alike. Particularly difficult is the issue of uncertainty, which can include ambiguity around the phenomenon of climate change, the possible impacts of this, and the timeframe within which such impacts will be seen. Previous research has established that audiences are often averse to uncertainty, and will disregard or ignore messages that contain it. This raises a theoretical and practical question of how best to manage uncertainty in climate change communication in order to maintain audience engagement. This question was the focus of this PhD research. Specifically, the aim of this thesis was to explore the process of climate change communication from the perspectives of the scientists, communicators, and the recipient. I achieved this research goal by utilising a mixed methods design. I firstly interviewed the originators (i.e., scientists) and professional communicators of climate change information to explore the process from their side (Chapter 2). This revealed a number of themes connecting to the different ways scientists and communicators understand the process of communication (e.g., as information exchange versus relationship building), the challenges of climate change communication and uncertainty in particular, and the (appropriate) role of scientists when communicating with the public about climate change. Next, in a series of studies I experimentally explored how audiences respond to variations in the informational content of climate change messages (such as the level of uncertainty) and the role of different communicative styles in further shaping audience engagement (Chapter 3). Broadly, the results of these studies suggest that while uncertainty can undermine audience engagement with climate change communications, the negative effects of uncertainty are buffered when the communicator is perceived to be high in morality and/ or when they use an open communication style. Interestingly, these effects of communication style were particularly evident among women, whereas men tended to react against this. Together, these studies show how relational factors (e.g., communication styles and perceptions of communication sources) can moderate the impact of informational content on audience responses. Finally, I ended this programme of research by looking in more detail at how audiences perceive a real scientific organisation engaged in climate change communication and the bases of their beliefs about organisation competence and morality (Chapter 4). This study combined qualitative and quantitative data to delve deeper into some of the insights gained in the experimental work, and to reconnect this to the real-world organisation context I began with. This study again showed how perceptions of communicator morality moderate responses to uncertainty, but also provide useful insights into the different origins of perceptions of morality and competence. Chapter 5 concludes by summarising the research presented in this thesis, discussing its strengths, limitations and ways forward. Here, I also consider the theoretical, methodological and practical implications of the thesis’ research findings. Briefly, it is argued that addressing the scientific uncertainties of climate change may not necessarily mean altering the form of information itself. Rather, modifying the language peripheral to the information that contains uncertainty, attending to the ways in which audiences perceive the sources of uncertainty, and considering variations amongst publics, may help to engage in effective communication around the complex issue of climate change.

Substance abuse has been identified internationally and in South Africa as an escalating problem that has harmful effects on the substance user and on society. The cost of treating substance-related disorders places a strain on the allocation of financial resources to treat the problem. When relapse occurs in substance users who have already undergone rehabilitation, it increases the costs of treatment. Waiting lists at treatment centres are also negatively affected for first-time admissions when relapsed substance users are re-admitted. The study aimed to identify relapse indicators by post-discharge follow-up of adult substance users in a registered, non-profit, state-subsidised treatment facility in Cape Town. Marlatt’s Dynamic model of relapse was used to explore the individual and socio-cultural factors which were potentially associated with relapse. A quantitative research design using archival data and purposive sampling was used to identify possible relapse indicators. The participants were ex-patients who had undergone an inpatient treatment programme and who had been followed up post discharge. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of the Western Cape Higher Degrees Committee. Written permission was granted by the treatment centre who is the original data owner.The majority of participants were male. More than half of the sample reported polysubstance use and, for more than half of them, the age of onset of substance use was between 11 and 15 years. Severe depression was present for more than a third of the participants, whilst the majority of the sample was assessed as being substance dependent. A large proportion of patients had family members who also used substances. The majority of the sample was unemployed and more than half had received previous substance abuse treatment. Significant associations were not established between the identified variables within the groups of factors. Additional studies are required to explore the factors contributing to relapse in this patient population. / Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)

This study reports an experiment that examines whether librarians provide equitable virtual reference services to diverse user groups. The relative absence of social cues in the virtual environment may mean greater equality of services though at the same time greater inequalities may arise as librarians can become less self-aware online. Findings indicate that the quality of service librarians provide to African Americans and Arabs is lower than the quality of service they provide to Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and Jewish students. This study adds to the knowledge of subjective bias in the virtual environment by specifying those that are discriminated against online, identifying the kinds of discriminatory actions of virtual reference librarians, and identifying the type of queries that more frequently result in unbiased service.